Barge



E. T. STROM Nov. 1l, 1952 BARGE Filed Aug. 21, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l n. l I l .U

` Nl/ENTOR. cfr e/. from WQ) Nov. l1, 1952 E. T. sTRoM '2,617,683

BARGE Filed Aug. 2l, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BARGE E. T. STROM Om NN Nov. l1, 1952 Filed Aug. 21, 1947 Patented Nov. 11, 1952 a UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE BARGE Edgar T. strom, Beulah, N. Dak.

Application August 21, 1947, Serial No. 769,898A

(ci. ass- 20) v 5 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in vbarge wherein it is desired to provide a device capable of moving heavy loads of hay, straw, or

the-like, and including an unloading mechanism.

In the handling of hay, straw, and the like, it

is. normal practice to ll a `wagon or rack, `to

transport this material to its vdestination and to vremove the material and stack the same. In

accomplishing this result it is necessary to handle the hay or straw several different times. It is a purpose of the present inventionV to provide a device capable of carrying a quantity of hay or straw sufficient in itself to build the stack by providing suitable unloading means. The stack may be formed in the barge and transferred onto theground in stacked form.

It is the object of the present invention to prolvide a barge capable of hauling a considerable vquantity of hay or straw and to provide an unloading mechanism by means of which this large quantity may be removed. At `the same vtime, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a device which will accomplish the .desired result with a minimum of power and a lmaximum of efficiency. Y v A feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a barge supported by wheels located intermediate the ends of the barge and to provide a means of tilting the barge toward one end so as to` reduce the power necessary to remove the stacked material from the barge. When the barge is held on an incline the stacked material may be transferred directly onto the ground without destroying the general shape ofthe stack. .A feature of the present invention liesin the provision of a means for tilting the barge Without [providing special power4 means to accomplish this result. My barge is provided with pivoted tilting .legsuwhiclr may be pivoted into Contact withvthc ground. By moving the barge longitudinally 'umgs'e` legs pivot toward vertical. posities, uiting `one'end of the barge without special hoisting mechanism forA this purpose.

Se. A feature of the present inventionlies in the .This barge is also provided with an unloading member which is movable longitudinally of the `barge to force the stacked material towardV the Irearend thereof. The wedge shape of the body allows the unloading member to workvmore eifectively than'would otherwise be possible.

yAn addedfeature'of the presentinvention lies .Figure 2 isa longitudinal section through inthe provision of a barge having a tail gate supported by a slidable hinge arrangement. The gate is so arranged that one end thereof maybe unhooked and the entire gate may be pivoted at right angles and slid along one side ofthe barge,

being supported bythe wall.

An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of a barge which may be moved by a' tractor or similar vehicle and which has incorporated therein an unloading device which is operable from the power 'take-off of the tractor. Thus the entire device may be actuated by power which is readily available.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will bel more clearly` and fullylset forth in the following specification and claims. In the drawings forming a part of my speci-- cation: n f

Figure l is a side elevational view of abarge in unloading position showing the manner inV which it isv connected to a tractor or the like. a

the barge showing the construction. thereof.

, Figure 3 is a top planview of the barge. y Figure4 is an elevational view of the front end ofthe barge body. K f Figure 5is a bottom'plan view of the barge. Figure 6 is' a detail. view of a locking mechanism used in conjunction with the barge body. The barge A includes a frame Ill having a front cross member II, a center beam I2 and four spaced longitudinally extending beams or stringers I3, I4, I5, and I6. The outermost beams of the series are arranged somewhat wider apart at A -their rear ends than at their forward ends' where they connectto the cross member II.' A cross brace I'i extends .between the innermost stringers I4 and I5 to form a support for theV drive shaft supporting mechanism.

A pair of longitudinally extending beams I9 vand 26 are varranged in parallel spaced relation between the stringers i4 and I5. Crossame'm'bers Lfl connect the beams I9 and 26 at intervals and form bearings for the drive shaft 22. The `forwardend of the drive shaft 22 is connected through a universal joint 23 to a shaft 24 leading to a transmission 25. `The rear end of the .drive shaft 22 is connected through a universal joint 26 to a shaft 21 extending into a gear boxf29. The gear box 29 contains suitable bevel gears .vor the like to` transmit motion from the shaftf21 to the rightV angular-ly extending shaft 30. The shaft 36 is supported by suitable bearings on the rear ends of the strngers I4 and I5.

The stringers I3,` I4, I5, and I6 form a supporting frame for a flooring 3l forming therbot- -tom of the barge A. Upright posts 32 extend opposite frame member I6. The posts 32 andr3l3 support side walls 34 and 35 respectively. Side frame reinforcing rails 36 and 31 also connect the top ends of the posts 32 and 33 respectively. A vertically extending supporting post 39 extends upwardly from the cross member at the front end of the body. A front wall 4U connects the foremost posts 32 and 33 of the side walls, forming a closed front end on the body. As best illustrated in Figure 4 of Ithe drawings the posts 32 and the side wall 34 are somewhat higher than the posts 33 and the side wall 35 so that the front wall tapers from the wall 34 toward the wall 35.

This provides a lower side on the barge whichY is useful when the barge is used in harvesting grain with a header. A pair of short shaft sections 4| and 42 are mounted in alignment near the forward end of the barge and at approximately the floor level of the barge.

Rollers or sprockets 43 and d4 are mounted on the shafts 4| and 42 respectively. Aligned sprockets 45 and 46 are mounted on the ends of the transverse shaft 30 at the rear end of the barge, which shaft is also at approximately oor level. The sprockets 43 and 45 support a chain 41, while the sprockets 44 and 49 support a chain 49.

A pusher member I) in the form of a side plank is supported by triangular braces 5| and 52 in a generally vertical plane. These braces are connected at their ends to the chains 41 and 49 for movement therewith. The brace 5| is connected at its forward end 53 to one end of the chain 41 and is pivotally connected at its other end 54 to the other end of the chain 41. YSimilarly the brace 52 is connected at its ends 55 and 56 to the ends of the chain 49. Movement of the chains 41 and 49 thus moves the pusher toward one end or the other of the barge.

A pair of supporting wheels 51 are mounted at each end of the cross beam |2 to movably support the frame. of the barge. In preferred form the beam l2 extends,y across the body slightly to the right of the center thereof so that if the weight of the body is equally distributed, the body will always tend to tilt forwardly. A substantially V- shaped draw bar 59 extends from a forward pivotal connection 6G forwardly of the barge body to a point just forwardly of the cent-er of the body. The separated ends of the draw bar 59 are connected along aligned pivots 6| to the frame members I3 and I6. Thus the barge body may pivot about a horizontal axis relative to the draw bar. A shaft or bar 32 extending transversely of the draw bar is pivotally supported in spaced bearings 63 thereupon. is secured to the shaft or bar B2 and extends upwardly therefrom. This angle member extends between the frame member I9 and the shaft 24 and extends upwardly adjacent the for wardly projecting bracket 65 on Ithe front wall 40. The angle member E4 is held adjacent the bracket 65 bya U-shaped enclosure 65, best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings. As best illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings a locking lever 61 is pivoted to the bracket 65 at B9. One end of this lever engages in a selected aperture 1| in the angle member 64. The locking lever 61 is provided with a lug 'F2 thereon which prevents excessive pivotal mcvement of the lever. Thus when the locking lever 61 is engaged the body of the barge may be held in xed relation to the draw bar 59.

A pair of legs 13 are pivctally supported along aligned pivots 14 on the undersurface of the frame members I3 and i6. Hook means 15 are An angle member 64 provided on the frame members for holding the legs 13 in generally parallel relation to the frame members I3 and I6. The legs 13 are fulda-ble downwardly into contact with the ground and are of suicient length to tilt the rear end of the barge against the ground before pivoting into vertical position.

The tail gate of the barge is formed as best illustrated in Figures l and 3 of the drawings. The tail gate 16 includes a pair of spaced vertical supports 11 and 19 to which are attached transversely extending members forming a rear closure. A chain 8| is loosely connected to the tail gate i6 by supporting loops 82. The ends of the chain 8| are engageable with suitable catches 93 on opposite side walls of the body to hold the lower end of the tail gate in closed position. The tail gate 16 is supported by" a transversely extending supporting bar or pipe 34 extending parallel to the cross members 80 and above the level thereof. Suitable straps suspend the tail gate from the bar or pipe 84. When in closed position one end of the bar 84 is supportedv in a spring clamp 86 mounted at the rear edge of Ithe side wall 35 and by a freely supported pulley or roller 81 mounted at the rear end of a rail or pipe 69. The rail or pipe 89 is supported by suitable brackets 9E to the outer surface of the side wall 34 of the barge.

When'it is desired to move the tail gate 16 into open position the pipe or bar 84 is removed from the spring bracket 86 and the entire tail gate is moved into generally parallel relation to the side wall 34. The ltail gate is then slid forwardly along the wall 34, the rail 84 sliding over the puller or roller 81. When in the overlapped position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, a spring clamp 9| on one end of the bar 84 is resiliently engaged with the forward en-d of the rail or pipe 89, thus sup-porting the tail gate in position extending Yalong the side wall of the barge.

Most of the operation of my device will be apparent from the foregoing description. The tail gate is in position extending across the rear end of the body with the pipe or rail 84 engaged in the spring clamp 85. A pin may extend through the ends of the spring clamps 86 and 9| if desired to make sure these clamps will not become accidentally disengaged. The ends of the chain 8| are engaged in the brackets 83 to hold the tail gate firmly closed.

The barge is now filled with hay or straw yand many tons of this material may be loaded onto the barge, the barge being substantially built and of considerable size. The draw bar 59 is Iattached to the draw bar connection 92 of the tractor B during this operation. When filled the barge A is moved by the tractor B to` a suitable position for unloading. In unloading the barge A a universal extendable and ycontract/able connection 93 is provided between the power take-'off of the tractor B and the forwardly projecting end 94 of the .transmission 25. Thus by operating the power takeoff of the tractor the transmis-sion may be driven. In unloading the :barge the tail gate is rst moved into open position and fastened in this pofsition. Both of the legs 13 are then unhooked `and pivoted down into contact with the ground.

The locking lever 51 is unlatched from the angle 64. The tractor is then backed in a reverse direction, the legs engaging the ground and gradually tilting the front end of the barge upwardly land the rear end of the barge downwardly. This action is continued until the rear end of the barge strikes the gro-und or is extremely close thereto.

A, The locking lever 6l is then engaged with the angle member 64 to hold the barge tilted.

The power take-oli is then operated land the transmission 25 properly actuated to move the pusher 50 toward the rear of the barge two or three fee-t to loosen the load upon the barge. The tractor is then started into movement forwardly and the barge is pulled ahead until the load is almost off the rear end of the barge. During this operation the pusher 50 may or may not be in operation as desired.

When the l-oad is almost removed from the barge the forward f movement of the barge is stopped and the pusher is moved toward the front end thereof or returned to its forward position. The lo-cking lever 6l is next disengaged from the angle 64, tending to allow the barge body to tilt into horizontal position. Upon slow forward movement of the tractor the barge will slowly tilt into horizontal position resting upon the draw bar 59. The body may be locked by the lever 61 in this position.

From an examination of Figure 4 of the drawings it will be obvious that I provide an opening 95 in the forward wall 40 of the barge. This aperture allows the tractor operator to have a clear view of the position of the pusher 50 so las to stop operation of the chain-s 41 and 49 when the pusher has reached its forward extreme position.

I have found my barge to be a great time and money saver, particularly when grain is harvested with a header. The stack may be built up in the barge and delivered thereby to a desired spot. By harvesting in this way considerable money i-s often saved as the grain may be harvested at an earlier date with a header, thus preventing injury to the grain and straw due to hail, or the like. It should further be noted that the chains -41 and 49 are positioned above the level of the iioor 3| and tend to move the entire load. Weight upon the 'chains merely tightens the same.

The barge may be conveniently used for building stacks of hay, straw, corn bundles and many dilerent types of grain bundles. My barge Works excellently for dumping bundles near the feeder of the threshing machine When it is so desired.

In accordance with the paten-t statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my barge, and While I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvio-us changes may @be made within the scope of the following claims Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A barge comprising a body, a cross member supporting said body near the center thereof, axially aligned wheels at opposite endsV of said cross member, legs on said body pivotally movable into engagement with the ground, axially aligned pivots parallel to the wheel axes connecting one end of each leg to said body, said legs being of sufcient length to tilt said body about said wheel axes when pivoted into engagement with the ground and upon longitudinal movement of the barge in a direction to pivot the legs toward vertical position.

2. A barge comprising a body, side walls on said ybody, a removable end wall thereupon, axially aligned wheels tiltalbly supporting said body to tilt the end of said body havingsaid removable end wall toward or away fromthe ground, a pair of legs pivotally supported to the other end of said body, axially aligned pivots parallel to the wheel axes connecting one end of each leg to said body, said legs being pivotally movable into engagement with the ground, said legs engaging the ground and tilting said body upon longitudinal movement thereof in a -direction to pivot the legs toward vertical position.

3. A barge comprising a barge body, a pair of opposed axially aligned wheels supporting said body for forward or rearward tilting motion, a draw bar pivotally connected to said body. axially aligned pivots parallel to the wheel axes and spaced forwardly a relatively short distance therefrom connecting said draw bar to said body, legs on said body engageable with the gro-und and operable on longitudinal movement of the body to tilt the same relative to said draw bar, axially aligned pivots parallel to the wheel axes connecting one end of each leg to said body, and means for locking said body in fixed angularly adjusted posi-tion relative to said draw bar.

4. A barge including a body, wheels supporting said body adjacent the mid-point thereof, a draw bar pivotally connected to said body, said body being tiltable rela-tive to said draw bar, leg-s pivotally carried by said body and pivotally engageable with the ground which are operable on longitudinal movement of the body to tilt the same relative to the draw bar, and locking means for locking said body from pivotal movement relative to the draw bar in any selected tilted or horizontal position.

5. A barge including a body, wheels supporting said body adjacent the mid-point thereof, a draw bar pivotally connected to said body, said body being tiltable relative to said draw bar, legs on said body pivotally engageable with the ground and operable on longitudinal movement of the body to tilt the same relative to the draw bar, and locking means for locking said body from pivotal movement relativ-e to the draw bar in any selected tilted or horizontal position, said locking means inclu-ding an arm transversely pivote-d to said draw bar, a bracket on said body through which said arm may slide upon tilting movement of said body, and means for locking said arm in adjusted rel-ation to said bracket.

EDGAR T. STROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 812,918 Briggs Feb. 20, 1906 813,044 Hanson Feb. 20, 1906 986,604 Stuckwisch Mar. 14, 1911 1,038,230 Tansill Sept. 10, 1912 1,485,632 Shea Mar. 4, 1924 1,501,205 Dixon July 15, 1924 l1,528,688 01er Mar. 3, 1925 A1,538,052 Mueller May 19, 1925 1,549,471l Engler Aug. 11, 1925 A1,606,412 Graham Nov. 9, 1926 1,654,032 Avery Dec. 27, 1927 l1,954,495 Sohei'fele Apr. 10, 1934 2,217,871 Lindgren Oct. 15, 1940 I2,226,901 Fairbanks Dec. 31, 1940 2,318,886 Paiement May 11, 1943 2,475,971 Livernois July 12.1.1949 

